Since 1982.

Family Law

Gevurtz Menashe was Founded on Families and continues to provide Solutions and Support Through Life’s Toughest Transitions

Families come to Gevurtz Menashe at pivotal moments in their lives. They may be hurting, distraught, anxious or angry. Whether they’re separating, remarrying, welcoming a new life, or seeking counsel in other family matters, it’s critical to have an advocate who understands the intricacies of the law and knows how to communicate their interests. When the dust settles, clients want the best possible outcome—and this is exactly what Gevurtz Menashe provides. Learn more by clicking our practice areas below.

Adoption, IVF, & Surrogacy

Whether you are exploring the adoption, IVF or surrogacy process, a family law attorney can help navigate the laws and regulations around all family planning processes in Oregon and Washington. We believe it’s important to have a legal professional guide the process with an objective, yet compassionate perspective. You and your family are important, and should be well represented to ensure nothing stands between you and your ability to welcome home a new member. Gevurtz Menashe attorneys have helped guide families through the adoption and family planning process for over 30 years. We are here to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.

Appeals

Attorney for A Child

Attorneys at Gevurtz Menashe represent children in both family law cases and in juvenile court. Call us today at 503-227-1515 or contact us online to schedule a consultation. In family law cases in Oregon, a child’s attorney is sometimes appointed by a judge to protect the child’s rights when the child testifies as a witness or appears to be “stuck” in the middle between warring parents.

Child Support

If you have a child with someone you are no longer in a relationship with, there may be custody, parenting time, and child support issues. Child support is ordered in divorces with children but also in cases where the parties were never married if they are no longer residing together. The non-custodial parent is usually required to pay child support as part of a child custody agreement, and is generally required to make payments on a monthly or yearly basis until the child is 18 years old. Oregon law also allows the court to order both parents to pay support, or joint custody support for children between 18 and 21 if they qualify as a “child attending school”.

Contempt

The "contempt of court" procedure is among the methods available to enforce a court order when someone knows what they are required to do, is able to comply, but chooses to do otherwise.

Most court orders may be enforced by means of a contempt of court action, even if other means of enforcement are also available. There are exceptions. Gevurtz Menashe family law attorneys can help discuss your options.

Child Custody & Parenting Time

Over the years, the legislature has refined many aspects of how child custody cases are handled. In almost all cases, they designed these changes to protect the interests of children in divorce. In fact, several of our own Gevurtz Menashe divorce and child custody lawyers helped to write and refine many of the laws that now govern child custody and visitation (now legally referred to as “parenting time”) in Oregon.

Divorce

Simply put, divorce is the legal process of dissolving a marriage between two people. A divorce can encompass many of the practice areas involved in family law- including asset and debt division, child custody, parenting time, and spousal and child support. For that reason, it’s imperative that a divorce be handled professionally. We understand that meeting with a divorce attorney for the first time can be an overwhelming first step but we're here to walk you through the process - and we take that job very seriously. That said there are a number of key things you should consider before you take that step.

Grandparent Rights

With regard to legal responsibility for a child (custody), the same rules apply to a grandparent as to any non-parent. Please see our page on Stepparent and Co-parent Rights. If you would like to learn more about your legal rights as a Grandparent, give us a call at 503-227-1515 or contact us online.

Guardianship of Minors

There are a number of circumstances in which either a formal or an informal guardianship of children may be appropriate. Whether a child needs to be temporarily in the custody of someone other than their parents, or a more long-term placement is necessary, guardianship may give the structure and authority necessary to provide for the child. An individual who assumes the role of legal guardian for a child takes on a number of important responsibilities. Guiding the child’s growth and development, providing care and nourishment, ensuring the child is protected from harm. These are similar to the responsibilities of a parent with legal custody, however, a child’s legal guardian acts with the authority and accountability of the court.

High Asset Divorce

At Gevurtz Menashe, we pride ourselves in treating each client with the highest degree of care and respect. When it comes to family law, however, there’s no question that cases with large assets bring complexities and challenges of a different sort. A number of Gevurtz Menashe attorneys have experience in litigating, arbitrating and mediating high-asset divorce cases. Our divorce lawyers have extensive experience representing individuals who are medical, legal and tax professionals; executives; business owners; and/or those who have acquired wealth through family succession planning.

International & Interstate Child Custody

Gevurtz Menashe family law attorneys have many years of experience working on child custody cases—whether here in the Northwest, nationally, or abroad. To learn more about international or interstate custody laws, and how they affect your family, call us at 503-227-1515 or request a consultation online.

Juvenile Dependency & DHS Cases

Juvenile dependency cases often arise when DHS has concerns regarding the care a minor child is receiving from parents or other caregivers and, as a result, questions whether the Juvenile Court should have legal jurisdiction over that child.

Military Divorce

When members of the military divorced, it’s important to involve a lawyer who has experience with military divorce and is well versed in the local and federal laws governing such a divorce. The divorce and estate planning lawyers at Gevurtz Menashe have extensive experience working on cases involving military divorce.

Modifications

At Gevurtz Menashe, we understand circumstances change, family needs grow, and legal arrangements need updating and modification. Whether you’re looking for modification help with child support, custody, visitation, or spousal support, our team of experienced family law and estate planning attorneys can guide you through the modification process.

Legal Name Change

People change their names for a variety of reasons. Commonly, upon marriage, one spouse will take the surname of the other spouse. If, later, the marriage is legally dissolved, either spouse may choose to return to a previous name.

Paternity

Unmarried parents of a child or children have the same rights and responsibilities as married parents. Legal paternity can be established by the agreement of the biological parents when a child is born, or at any time after the birth. If there is a dispute concerning who is the father of a child, parentage can be established by DNA testing. Either parent can file motions with the court to seek resolution if there is a disagreement about custody of the child, the parenting schedule, child support or other child-related issues.

Relationship Agreements

Relationship agreements, whether premarital, post-marital or domestic partnership agreements are growing in popularity. More than ever before, couples are constructing a plan to ensure protection and distribution of their assets when their marriage ends—by either death or divorce.

Step-Parent & Co-Parent Rights

In some cases, a court will determine whether a child's best interests are served by continuing contact with a third party. If a non-parent can prove that they have served a substantial enough role in a child's life, visitation or even custody of the child may be awarded to the third party. Learn more about guardianships here.

Unbundled Legal Services

Today, it’s more common than ever for clients to represent themselves in their own legal matters. Because of this evolving trend, the courts are taking steps to make the legal process more accessible, including providing standard forms for pleadings, facilitators to review forms to help reduce error, along with booklets and websites to explain the basics of family law. We can help.

Tell us how we can help

Our managing partner, Shawn Menashe, wants to know what you think, about good or bad experiences, or if you have any questions or concerns at all. This message will go directly into his inbox. Thank you for taking the time to reach out and share. Your feedback is very important to us.

Sign up for our newsletter

Thank you for your message. Our team proudly represents families with all types of family law and estate planning matters and excellent client care is our number one goal at Gevurtz Menashe. One of our client service coordinators will respond to your inquiry within one business day.